The pressure on Big East commissioner Mike Aresco reached blazing proportions when it was revealed the conference’s basketball-first schools met Monday in New York City to discuss their options going forward.

Veteran college sports reporter Mark Blaudschun wrote on his blog, ajerseyguy.com, that the seven current Big East members that do not sponsor FBS football met to discuss “breaking off on their own.”

That particular action is highly unlikely, as it would force all of them—DePaul, Georgetown, Marquette, Providence, St. John’s, Seton Hall, Villanova—to pay exit fees and separate from the Big East brand, the league’s long-term contract to hold the championship tournament at Madison Square Garden and all the money due them from other schools’ exit fees and previous NCAA Tournament earnings.

However, as the Providence Journal-Bulletin reported last month, the seven apparently have the power to vote as a bloc and dissolve the league, which would position them to pursue the MSG tournament, avoid exit fees and collect the money due them from the league treasury.

Blaudschun reported that sources familiar with the conversation at Monday’s meeting indicated it included both presidents and athletic directors and that “a time frame of six months was set up to make a decision.” That would more or less coincide with the deadline for the dissolution to occur before Memphis, SMU, UCF and others arrive in the league on July 1 and usurp the necessary two-thirds voting majority the basketball-first schools currently hold.

Sports Illustrated's Pete Thamel reported on Twitter that the Monday meeting was not a secret, that Aresco was part of the discussion and that he answered questions from the member schools in attendance.

It is important to note there could be no dissension among the basketball schools on a vote to dissolve the league. If any of the seven voted against or abstained, the two-thirds majority would not exist.